Ironwing
by seekingtomorrow
Summary: When the titans invaded their lands, the humans retreated behind walls, the dwarves into caves, and the elves fled back to the forests. Now, nearly a century later, it's up to a boy, a halfling, and a dragon to put an end to the trespassers threatening their livelihood or die trying. Medieval fantasy AU.


**AUTHOR'S NOTE: **So, I don't really know if this is going to be a multi-chap or not. It all really depends on the kind of response I get and whether people like it enough for me to continue.

I've been on a huge Game of Thrones/Lord of the Rings kick lately, seeing as season 4 of GoT is soon and the Hobbit was just in theatres. This is semi-inspired by some of that, but will incorporate basically a ton of other fantasy elements. It's not a crossover, though. Pairing for now is Eremika, but other characters will also appear. I can promise Yumikuri and past!Rivamika, but everything else is sorta up in the air.

Reviews are greatly, greatly appreciated!

**DISCLAIMER: **I don't own SnK.

* * *

Even as the rabbit hopped into his line of sight, Eren kept his bow steady, finger gently brushing up against the wood of the arrow. He would only let the shaft fly once he knew for certain that it would hit its mark.

_One step closer_. He chanted in his mind, willing the mammal to move. He watched with baited breath as the creature lifted its head to stare at its surroundings, it nose twitching.

Eren readied himself to release the arrow, but just as he did so, a blast of wind from the other direction nearly knocked him off his feet. Picking up his bow where it had been dropped, he noticed the arrow was missing. _Did I already hit it?_

He looked into the tiny clearing and what he saw there shocked him. A figure stood there, clasping the neck of the rabbit in their right hand. Eren's arrow jutted out of their shoulder, but they hardly seemed to be hindered by the wound.

"Is this yours?" It was a young girl's voice, far more innocent than her grim countenance would suggest.

Eren pulled himself out of the bushes, almost certain that he had concealed himself properly. "I shot that first!"

"I know." The girl turned to face him. She had a pretty face; dark eyes framed by long hair the colour of ink. "That's why I'm asking." She appeared to be in her late teens, quite a few years older than Eren's thirteen.

"Oh." Eren's felt his anger dissipating. "I was aiming for it." Where had this girl come from? This hunting ground was Eren's secret, a tiny part of the forest that hadn't succumbed to the poison brought on by the titans. He had never told anyone about this location and even if someone did manage to find it, there was no way for them to just appear out of nowhere.

"Here." She offered the game to him. "You take it." She wore a sleeveless tunic, an odd choice of clothing for a hunter.

Eren was hesitant to accept the rabbit from her. On one hand, he had been scoping it out first, but on the other, it would be incredibly insulting for him to be stealing someone else's food. "I don't want it."

The girl cocked her head, dark hair falling to one side. And that's when Eren noticed her ears. They were pointed. "You're a human, aren't you?"

An elf.

Eren had heard stories about the mysterious creatures. Before the invasion, they had once traded freely with humans and a select few were bestowed upon the rare gift of "Elf-Friend". However, once the titans had made themselves known, the elves had returned to their forests, locking the trees up with wards and spells to keep trespassers away. It had been nearly one hundred years since a human had set food in an elven forest or an elf set foot in human territory.

"I am," said Eren carefully. Would she get offended if he took the rabbit? Would she get offended if he didn't? Eren had enough difficulties talking to regular girls, let alone elven ones.

"Humans have to eat meals three times a day, right?"

"Yes, usually."

"So, take it." She shook the rabbit slightly. "I don't need to eat as often as you."

An odd thought suddenly occurred to Eren, just some random tidbit of information he'd seen in a book somewhere. "Aren't elves supposed to be vegetarian?"

The girl smiled. Reaching forward, she took Eren's free hand and curled his fingers around the rabbit. It was still warm, though as time wore on, Eren knew its body would eventually cool down. "I guess I'm not a regular elf, then." She turned around to leave, but against his better judgement, Eren called out to her.

"You have my arrow in your shoulder!"

She paused and glanced at him over her shoulder. "I'll take it out later and it'll heal." Then, her eyebrows furrowed slightly. "Did you want your arrow back? I can take it out now."

Eren shook his head. "You can give it to me next time," he told her.

"Next time?"

"The next time you're here. To hunt."

She nodded. "Okay then."

"My name is Eren."

"Eren, I'm Mikasa."

"Where are you from?"

Mikasa seemed to stiffen at the words. With a smile that was more strained than anything, she patted his arm gently. "You should go home. The forest isn't safe for humans."

"Will I see you again?" There was something about Mikasa that was intriguing, Eren decided. There was definitely something dangerous, like some pungent odour that hung thickly in the air, about her, but she appeared kind enough to not immediately attack him on the spot.

"If you're lucky, you won't have to," she said cryptically. "Now, go. Go home and stay safe, Eren Jaeger." Turning around for the final time, she walked past the trees at the far end of the clearing and Eren watched as her figure faded away into the darkness. It was only after she'd disappeared that he realized he'd never given her his last name.

Shaking his head to rid his thoughts of the strange encounter, Eren hurried home. As he passed the guards stationed near the entrance of one of the gates, he noticed a group of soldiers clothed in green coming in through the main passageway.

"Has the Scouting Legion returned?" He asked a man near him.

The man grimaced. "Yes," he said through gritted teeth. "And even more of them are dead. Which just means that our tax dollars are going to waste."

Eren felt his anger boil over like water in a saucepan. "They're amazing!" He chided the man. "They're risking their lives fighting the titans and you're just sitting around!" Others in the crowd turned to stare at the two, many of whom were glaring daggers at the young boy.

The man's face purpled with rage and he raised his fist, but suddenly, a slender hand wrapped around his wrist.

"Excuse my brother," said Mikasa. "We just lost a family member and he isn't taking it too well."

The man attempted to jerk his hand out of her grip, but even from where Eren was standing, he could tell that she held tightly to it. "He should watch his mouth."

"I'll let him know." She finally let go and the man stormed off, cradling his hand. He moved too quickly for Eren to get a good glimpse, but the boy was certain he saw a ring of bruises around the man's wrist. "You should watch your mouth, Eren." Mikasa said, her hand on his shoulder. "You could get in trouble one day."

What was she doing here? How did she know his last name? If she was an elf, why was she wandering around? What were elves like? The questions bubbled up on Eren's tongue, but refused to slip past his lips. "Did you follow me?" He asked.

She didn't answer, too busy staring past him and at the Scouting Legion. Eren watched as her eyes widened and she took off running.

"Hey!" He called after her. "Wait up!"

She ran alongside the procession, her eyes scanning the soldiers. Eren followed her gaze, wondering who she was looking for. However, when she reached the end, she clicked her tongue impatiently and cast her eyes to the ground. She moodily kicked up a cloud of dust and Eren had to stifle a laugh at her apparent childishness.

"Who…are…you looking…for?" Eren asked, breathing heavily.

"A friend," she replied quietly.

"Did you find him?"

"No." She didn't sound particularly sad to his ears. There was frustration in her voice, and perhaps a bit of resentment, but she didn't appear to be in mourning like so many who'd lost their loved ones to the titans. "You should head home."

Eren thought of his house, warm and inviting, and gently touched his fingers to the key strung around his neck that had been given to him by his father earlier that morning. "You should come too."

Mikasa turned around to stare at him. "I don't think that would be wise."

"You helped me out," insisted Eren.

She hesitated for a moment. "Fine," she said and she began following him through the cobblestone streets of Shiganshina. "Do you want to join the Scouting Legion? You appeared quite eager earlier on."

Eren nodded enthusiastically. "I think they're great. The people in his town are like livestock, you know." He shook the rabbit in his hand impatiently. "They're like this rabbit!"

Mikasa watched him with expressionless eyes, but said nothing, so he continued.

"They're just going to sit here and wait until the titans eat them! I don't want to be like that! I want to go out and fight the titans!"

"It's very dangerous," said Mikasa. "You could die."

"I'd rather die outside the Walls than spend my life cooped up in here!" He shot back. "I don't want stay here forever!"

"There's nothing outside the Walls for you," she said. "Anything that anyone has told you—stories about elves or dwarves or even other humans—are lies. It's much safer for you to stay here."

He shook his head vehemently. "I can't do that," he said. "You've been outside the Walls, haven't you?"

She nodded slowly.

"Do you think you could take me?" Eren's eyes widened, imagining the possibilities. There was so much he wanted to see and this girl could show it to him. A titan stood no chance against elves, he had heard. With Mikasa by his side, he could safely explore the world outside the Walls without having to fear the titans!

"No," she responded without missing a beat.

"Why not?" His barely below the surface anger bubbled up in him again. "I won't get in your way!"

"It's too dangerous." She said and she looked like she wanted to say more, but her attention was drawn to the Wall itself.

"If you—!"

"Shush." She curled a lock of hair behind her ear, revealing the pointed appendage to Eren. Though he never forgot her lineage, there was something so irrevocably human about her. "Eren."

"What?" He still felt sore at her refusal.

"Go to the docks," she said hurriedly. "There are probably ships that will take you to Wall Rose if you pay them enough."

"Why?" Panic started to well up in him. "What's going on?"

"Eren, go." She shifted into a position that reminded Eren of a cat about to pounce. "Here," she tossed him a small pouch that clinked with a sound similar to coins when he picked it up, "take this and go."

"Why?" He repeated, clutching the pouch in his hand. "Mikasa, what's going on?"

When she stared at him, her eyes were wide with terror. "Titans," she whispered, pointing a finger to the very top of Wall Maria.

Eren stared at the monument, watching in abject horror as the face of a skinless titan appeared above it. Titans weren't supposed to be this large, he'd heard before. That was why they'd built the Wall fifty metres high. It was a deterrent against the titans, but it only worked because it was larger than them.

"Eren, get back!" Mikasa threw herself at him, shielding his body when the blast hit. Pieces of the Wall flew inwards, raining down on houses and civilians. When Eren looked up, past Mikasa's arm, he saw that the huge titan had kicked a hole in the Wall, large enough for smaller titans to pass through.

"Get to the docks!" She grabbed him by the arm and began leading him there, but he pulled back.

"My mom!" He couldn't just leave his own family to die while he escaped alone. How could he ever hope to save humanity from the scourge of the titans if he couldn't even save his own family?

Mikasa continued tugging at his arm, but her grip lessened. "We'll get your mom and then we'll go on the boat, okay?"

Eren nodded, lowering his own hand to slip through Mikasa's own. He nearly flinched at the contact, not realizing that her hand was so warm. Though they were slight, he felt callouses on her palm, the marks of a fighter, perhaps.

The two ran through the streets, Mikasa occasionally stopping Eren whenever a titan passed by. As they continued, Eren watched his companion. She was skittish, staring up at the sky every few minutes and mumbling to herself.

"…Armin, where are you?"

As Eren opened his mouth to ask her who she was talking about, she shook her head and urged him on.

_My house is just around his corner_. _When I turn here, I'll see my house_. The words still rung in his head, and he still expected to see his own home in one piece, despite the ruined condition of the houses around him. _Just around this corner. _

"Eren." Mikasa jerked him back behind a ruined building.

"My house is right there!"

"So is a titan."

He struggled against her grip. "I can't just leave her!" Breaking free, he scrambled over to his home. "Mother!"

Carla Yeager smiled bleakly. The lower half of her body was crushed under the fallen roof of their home. "Eren…"

"Come on!" He pulled at her arms, hoping to free her from the wreckage. "We have to get out of here. My friend says we can get to the docks and behind Wall Rose!"

"Eren, you have to leave now," Carla said.

Eren felt tears prick at corners of his eyes, but he wiped them away furiously. In the distance, a titan with scraggly blonde hair and a wide smile inched closer. "I can get you out!" His arms shook with the effort, but suddenly, a pair of warm hands encased his own.

"I'll help." Mikasa curled her hands around the bottom of the crushed-in roof and heaved. It began to shift, but due to its ruined state, the woof shifted and Carla screamed in pain. "It's no good," she said. "I can't get it off without hurting her even more."

"You." Carla gripped at Mikasa's hand, her eyes streaming with tears—though whether they were from pain or terror, Eren couldn't tell. "You have to protect Eren. Can you do that for me?"

Mikasa nodded solemnly, as if she had known his woman her entire life. "I promise."

The titan grew closer.

"Leave me!" Carla begged.

"Mom, no!"

"You'll die if you stay!"

"And so will you!" And even though he knew it was futile, Eren still pulled and pulled.

"Eren." Mikasa's calm voice broke him out of his reverie. "Stay back."

"Mikasa, help me!"

"Stay back," she repeated softly, drawing a short blade from her belt. Gripping the edge of a white bandage wrapped around her right arm, she pulled it free. She pressed the edge of the knife to her right palm, in the centre of a strange symbol carved into the skin. "Please don't think any less of me." She dragged the knife across the skin.

There was an explosion of light. Eren staggered back, shielding his face with his arm. When the light cleared, he looked up and into the face of what once was Mikasa.

A silver blade grew out of her right arm; the contrast between the metal-like material and skin looking terribly painful. However, Mikasa's face gave away nothing. "Stay here." She told Eren and he watched her eyes, now bright silver and almost reptilian, shift to the titan with a thinly-veiled disgust that he would have thought was only reserved for prey.

She took off, running on legs that looked more stag than human. Each silvery limb ended in a hoof, giving her the appearance of some nightmarish horse. As she neared the titan, she thrust out her left arm and the appendage seemed to collapse in on itself.

"Mikasa!"

What looked to be ribbons shot out of her arm, wrapping themselves around the jutting out stone of a nearby building and propelling her into the air. Eren watched, noting that although her arm retained the vague shape of the limb, it was shifting, hundreds of tangled ribbons tangling around each other.

Using her left arm, Mikasa managed to get herself near the titan. It swiped lazily at her, but she dodged easily, loosening her grip and falling slightly before pulling herself back up.

She was _amazing_. The titan was no match for her; every time it reached out, Mikasa was gone, reappearing in a place outside of the monster's grip. Finally, she shot past its shoulder, driving her body behind the beast. She thrust out her left arm again; the ribbons appeared to lose their softer appearance, their ends, now like knives, dug into the titan's skin. Anchored on, Mikasa threw herself forward and almost effortlessly spun her body, drawing the blade across the back of the titan's neck. The creature fell immediately, crushing Eren's house almost entirely.

She landed near Eren neatly and he watched her wide-eyed. Up close, she was incredibly beautiful, but in a terrifying way. Iridescent scales that looked almost red in the setting sun grew in patches along her neck and her eyes shone like polished metal. "Are you okay?" She asked and Eren swore he caught a glimpse of sharp canines.

"I-I'm fine."

"And your mother?"

Eren pointed to the wreckage of his home. He had tried his best to get her out, but when the titan fell, it had taken his house with it. The shock had yet to settle in.

"I'm sorry for your loss."

"We can still get her out," Eren said. "You just have to move the titan and we can get her out."

Mikasa cupped Eren's face with her left hand; the constantly-shifting ribbons felt strange, like hundreds of snakes against his skin. "She's gone. I'm sorry, Eren."

"She's not," he insisted. "She's right underneath. We just have to get her out."

"Eren…"

He gripped her hand, letting his fingers tangle with the ribbons. "We can get her out! You have to help me!"

She slid her hand from his grip and shook her head. "I have to get your to Wall Rose. There are too many titans here." True to her word, more titans had taken note of the pair and began to make their way to them. "We can't stay here."

"But, my mother!"

"She's gone." The words were spoken kindly, yet they felt like the cruelest ever delivered. She eyed the crowd around her.

Eren noticed the titans around them too. "You can take them out, can't you? Take them out and then we can get my mother out of here."

"There's too many. I need Armin." She crouched low to the ground anyways, her bladed arm held out in front of her. "Eren, leave now. I'll distract them and get your mother out."

"But—"

"No buts." She turned to him with a kind smile. "I promised her I'd protect you. Elves do not lie." Without waiting for his reply, she shot off in the air, aiming at the first titan, a small three metre class. The beast was brought down easily. The second after a matter of minutes, though Mikasa seemed to be taking longer with each titan. Eventually, one managed to grab her mid-air and held tightly.

"Mikasa!"

She struggled in its grip, but her arms were pinned to her sides. "Go! Leave!" She shouted down at the boy.

Then, there was a great stream of bright blue fire. It cloaked the titan holding Mikasa, allowing her to break free from its grip. She dropped down and sprinted to Eren, covering him with her body as the fire bathed nearly every titan in the immediate vicinity.

A large shadow, growing larger with every passing second, descended upon them. The creature landed on the roof, hooked talons digging into the rubble. As a nearby titan noticed it, it opened its maw and enveloped the titan in blue flames.

"Are you alright?"

It was the first time Eren had ever seen a dragon.

"Armin," Mikasa sighed with relief.

"Did you find him?" Due to immense surprise, the dragon spoke with the voice of a young boy; a far cry from the deep rumble he expected and had read about in stories.

"No," replied Mikasa, her voice suddenly sounding very far away. "He's not here."

"We should get out of here," said Armin, landing near the pair. His wings stirred up dust and tiny pieces of rumble. The sun lit up his scales, thousands of tiny sparkling gems like the armour of some great knight.

"We should. Can you take two passengers?"

Armin must have replied, but Eren didn't hear it. It sounded like Mikasa and Armin were speaking underwater. _What about my mother?_ He wanted to shout, but the words escaped him as quickly as they had come. Soon, darkness ebbed at the corners of his vision and he succumbed to it. The last thing he remembered was the warmth of Mikasa's body against his own and the rhythmic beating of wings.


End file.
